The issue of chattel slavery, and the systematic rape and murder of an Afrikan people is increasingly being heard in the dialogue of the black community. Such dialogue however, only indicates a potential for a resistence movement on the slavery issue and not a predictor.

How the African-American community addresses or does not address, engages or does not engage this issue will define us as a people to this nation and to the world. It will explain if the strident Black voices of social protest heard frequently in the national discourse are the products of a broad moral vision or simply the whimpering of self-interest whether the gnashing of our teeth over social injustice is just an empty emanating from a people whose practice of morality is clearly selective.

Those in the Black community who claim identification with Africa will be unable to rise to this historic occasion without the ability to access and process accurate information. It would also be beneficial if the Black community had leadership on the issue of slaver--the sad truth is that it does not. All the African-American leaders in this country--produce your own list if you desire--are hiding under their beds until this gunfight over the question of slavery is over.

This disgraceful, cowardly and self-serving behavior also holds true in Africa. "Why haven't African regional and continental organizations exposed and attacked slavery," is the trenchent rejoinder from William Pleasant of the Daily Challeng 3/30. Pleasant presses the issue by stating that "it would stand to reason that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) would lead to the charge against such a barbaric practice in its own backyard. But the OAU has remained silent."

The point--Black leadership in both America and Africa is bankrupt. When they do act on critical issues it is self-serving. Pleasant astutely observed "In the 1980's Black politicians activists and celebrities tripped over each other to get photographed being arrested at South Africa's Washington D.C. Embassy, says Pleasant. It became a chic activity. Apartheid is South Africa had to go, and it did, no small thanks to the grassroots Black community in this country."

Since African-American leaders will not join this issue until it becomes popular, the work of educating the grassroots Black community falls to the Black press. The problem with the Black press is that it is also suspect.

"At this moment, a group of Black American Journalist are touring the Sudan as guest of the regime, the Muslim Arab clique respsonsible for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of their own people, particuliarly non-muslims and Blacks. The Nations of Islam's Minister Akbar Muhammad is acting as the leader of the press junket designed to counter Samuel Cotton's charges, says Pleasant of the Daily Challenge, who has experienced a number of staged events in African Countries.

No doubt, these Black American pundites will return to write and broadcast glowing reports on the Sudan. That's what journalist do if they ever want to get invited to the Sudan again." Pleasant's perspective is corroborated by another Black journalist, Keith Richberg.

Keith Explores the reasons why Black journalist do not provide critical analysis of Black leaders and the Black community. A problem that deprives the African-American community of full and accurate reporting. Denying it challenging and diverse views that nurture a community's moral and prophetic vision. "Are you Black first, or a journalist first? The question succinctly sums up the dilemma facing almost every Black Journalist working for the "mainstream" (read white) press. Are you supposed to report and write accurately, and critically, about what you see and hear? Or are you supposed to be pushing some kind of Black agenda, protecting Black American leaders from tough scrutiny, treating Black people and Black issues in a different way."

The issue of chattel slavery, and the systematic rape and murder of an Afrikan people is increasingly being heard in the dialogue of the black community. Such dialogue however, only indicates a potential for a resistence movement on the slavery issue and not a predictor.

How the African-American community addresses or does not address, engages or does not engage this issue will define us as a people to this nation and to the world. It will explain if the strident Black voices of social protest heard frequently in the national discourse are the products of a broad moral vision or simply the whimpering of self-interest whether the gnashing of our teeth over social injustice is just an empty emanating from a people whose practice of morality is clearly selective.

Those in the Black community who claim identification with Africa will be unable to rise to this historic occasion without the ability to access and process accurate information. It would also be beneficial if the Black community had leadership on the issue of slaver--the sad truth is that it does not. All the African-American leaders in this country--produce your own list if you desire--are hiding under their beds until this gunfight over the question of slavery is over.

This disgraceful, cowardly and self-serving behavior also holds true in Africa. "Why haven't African regional and continental organizations exposed and attacked slavery," is the trenchent rejoinder from William Pleasant of the Daily Challeng 3/30. Pleasant presses the issue by stating that "it would stand to reason that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) would lead to the charge against such a barbaric practice in its own backyard. But the OAU has remained silent."

The point--Black leadership in both America and Africa is bankrupt. When they do act on critical issues it is self-serving. Pleasant astutely observed "In the 1980's Black politicians activists and celebrities tripped over each other to get photographed being arrested at South Africa's Washington D.C. Embassy, says Pleasant. It became a chic activity. Apartheid is South Africa had to go, and it did, no small thanks to the grassroots Black community in this country."

Since African-American leaders will not join this issue until it becomes popular, the work of educating the grassroots Black community falls to the Black press. The problem with the Black press is that it is also suspect.

"At this moment, a group of Black American Journalist are touring the Sudan as guest of the regime, the Muslim Arab clique respsonsible for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of their own people, particuliarly non-muslims and Blacks. The Nations of Islam's Minister Akbar Muhammad is acting as the leader of the press junket designed to counter Samuel Cotton's charges, says Pleasant of the Daily Challenge, who has experienced a number of staged events in African Countries.

No doubt, these Black American pundites will return to write and broadcast glowing reports on the Sudan. That's what journalist do if they ever want to get invited to the Sudan again." Pleasant's perspective is corroborated by another Black journalist, Keith Richberg.

Keith Explores the reasons why Black journalist do not provide critical analysis of Black leaders and the Black community. A problem that deprives the African-American community of full and accurate reporting. Denying it challenging and diverse views that nurture a community's moral and prophetic vision. "Are you Black first, or a journalist first? The question succinctly sums up the dilemma facing almost every Black Journalist working for the "mainstream" (read white) press. Are you supposed to report and write accurately, and critically, about what you see and hear? Or are you supposed to be pushing some kind of Black agenda, protecting Black American leaders from tough scrutiny, treating Black people and Black issues in a different way."

The tragedy lies in the fact that Cotton's article was written 12 years ago when Bill Clinton and the Democratic party was in power, and things have deteriorated rapidly since then.

So the Crisis of Black 'leadership" is intensified even more.

Thanks for sharing brother Sekhemu.

This issue of "Arabization", and the present tone of these threads has be re-evaluating my own perspective in relation to Pan-Africanism and Pan-"Arabism". And I am also "feeling" more why some folks view Islam as a tool of oppression and exploitation.

Peace.

Building A Global e-Networking Community Focusing on Black Genealogy/Family History and the Cultural/Spiritual Traditions of African people worldwide. EWOSA Village @facebook.com. Follow my blog at http://blkrootsworker.blogspot.com/?m=1

Yes the article may have been written back in the Clinton administration and yes, things have deteriorated even more since then. I cannot help, however, but be equally worried by his diagnosis of the problem. Looking at the article, it appears that, like here in the Caribbean (I'm writing from Trinidad), we still have a reluctance with letting go of the messiah image; that singular, charismatic "leader" (who is almost always expected to be male) who is going to gell most of us together and uplift the African-American/Caribbean people.

If we are to get anywhere, serious attention must be given to the idea of linking that elitist politics from above with the very powerful (if not more so) political awareness and activism from below (grassroots politics). There was a period when we absolutely needed the educated, charismatic, singular leader, be it WEB DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King or Dr Eric Williams. Even then, there was a strong grassroots power base that has yet to be spoken about. But many of these leaders ultimately became or were partly encouraged to remain in the lofty tower and become divorced from the real needs of the people. We cannot afford at this juncture to leave political and social activism solely in the hands of the educated elite although there is still a definite need for them. Neither can we be using Western ideas of government, economics and interpretive methodologies to African academics, economics, politics and history. If we are really serious about empowering the African people at home and abroad, then it is time we start looking at African ideas of politics (even though many Native Africans themselves are not, and that is not wholly their fault anyway) and at our respective realities and geographies and build using the resources we have right now.

The solutions lie somewhere in a linking of the Africentric and the Afro-Saxon; there is good in both worlds. These solutions have to come as well from the people who are directly affected by the racist policies of the Euro/Euro American. Additionally, it is much harder for that racist elite to strike a bargain or an underhanded deal with a mass movement.

It is even harder if we find the maturity to bury our petty insecurities and, drawing again, from traditional African custom, resore the women to positions of political and entrepreneurial leadership. This is probably the most significant reason why we as a people, whether in the States, the Caribbean or even in many parts of colonised and de-colonised Africa, have not and will not move out of that mire of stasis, dependency and self-doubt/hate. We are too immersed in the patriarchal Euro/Arab cultural outlook of patricentricity. We speak about the crisis in black leadership and yet choose to limit the people who can occupy positions of influence because we know so little about (and at times choose to know so little about) the traditional African phenomenon of not just women in politics but women's politics. This is something that has never existed in European/Euro-American society and most likely never will: Hillary Clinton, Albright, Margaret Thatcher, Golda Meir notwitsthanding. In fact they are perfect examples of women who had to conform to masculinist interests in order to be respected.

So while black leadership may be in a crisis, that "crisis" may only be because the messiah image has run its course. Thus there is cause for much hope, but it can only be realised when we choose to explore much of what has been staring us in the face for quite a long time.

The tragedy lies in the fact that Cotton's article was written 12 years ago when Bill Clinton and the Democratic party was in power, and things have deteriorated rapidly since then.

So the Crisis of Black 'leadership" is intensified even more.

Thanks for sharing brother Sekhemu.

This issue of "Arabization", and the present tone of these threads has be re-evaluating my own perspective in relation to Pan-Africanism and Pan-"Arabism". And I am also "feeling" more why some folks view Islam as a tool of oppression and exploitation.

Peace.

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Islam is legitimate religion for Africans. (See fudaa.blogspot.com) I am trying hard to open the eyes of as many of my Christian brothers and sisters as possible. Mis-understanding leads to dis-unity. The above reference proves a fundamental kinship between Christainity and Islam. Please take the time to view it. I am posting a series called Yhe Great Prophat Muhammad and his Black Companions. When I first read the book, I was ssurprised to see that although Muhammad had white skin, his features were definantly African. The genealogical table that I have there proves that Muhammad [Peace and Blessings be upon him] and all Arabs descend from Africans.

Islam is legitimate religion for Africans. (See fudaa.blogspot.com) I am trying hard to open the eyes of as many of my Christian brothers and sisters as possible. Mis-understanding leads to dis-unity. The above reference proves a fundamental kinship between Christainity and Islam. Please take the time to view it. I am posting a series called Yhe Great Prophat Muhammad and his Black Companions. When I first read the book, I was ssurprised to see that although Muhammad had white skin, his features were definantly African. The genealogical table that I have there proves that Muhammad [Peace and Blessings be upon him] and all Arabs descend from Africans.

Did youi ever wonder why so many Arab states have black in their National Colors? Guess.

It is interesting to see that often those of us who do not have Black skin remember their Black ancestors more often than we do. It would appear that them "dirty A-rabs' love their blackness.

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You are relatively new here and unfamiliar with some of the criticism I have taken while recognizing the African ancestry of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

This is not the issue. What concerns me is not the ancestry of "Arabs" but how they are PRESENTLY using "Islam" as a tool of oppression and exploitation of BLACK people. And please, stop referring me to your website. I have "been there, done that" and am not interested in your recruitment efforts to build a "front" organization.

Furthermore, I dont care what the colors are of the national flags of the kuwaitis, saudis, or yemenis who are in the pocket of us imperialism.

In fact, as some used to say back in my "Party" days, "Just because you may be my brother, doesnt make you my Comrade".

I have no comraderie with Islamist slave traders and allies with us imperialist efforts to expand into and destabilize BLACK civilization.

Building A Global e-Networking Community Focusing on Black Genealogy/Family History and the Cultural/Spiritual Traditions of African people worldwide. EWOSA Village @facebook.com. Follow my blog at http://blkrootsworker.blogspot.com/?m=1

Well, African, I certainly appreciate your willingness to discuss things. And, it is refeshing to detect a civilized tone in your statements.

For the record, FUDAA is not meant to be an organization where there is ideological agreement. If that was the case we would have been happy to call it a political party. I really prefer not to engage in diological debate. We have been debating for the past 500 years. Now is a time of action.

It is up to the masses of African and Arab people to decide at the ballot box which political party or parties will form the government. The FUDAA is necessary only to organize the Elections so that the people can decide. Therefore, the FUDAA is Pan-Africanism. We reserve the right to promote and defend Pan-Africanism.

Furthermore, religion should not become an excuse to aviod collective and organized action. When we convene the Constitutional Convention, we will not deabte if Christianity, Islam or Judaism should be the national religion. Instead, we will write a Constitution that allows and respects all three reliogions.

omowalejabali said:

You are relatively new here and unfamiliar with some of the criticism I have taken while recognizing the African ancestry of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

I can imagine what you have gone through. I can tell you some real horror stories. Africans have been so brain-washed until they are far worse than other ethnic groups when it comes to crusading for Christianity.

But FUDAA is not about any one religion. It is for all-Africans, regardless of religion. Yet, it does not promote a secular ideology. Seclarism, like atheism seem too European to me, personally.

This is not the issue. What concerns me is not the ancestry of "Arabs" but how they are PRESENTLY using "Islam" as a tool of oppression and exploitation of BLACK people.

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The United States of Africa and Arabia will create conditions that will eliminate friction and conflict between Africans and Arabs, insha-Allah.

And please, stop referring me to your website. I have "been there, done that" and am not interested in your recruitment efforts to build a "front" organization.

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You will notice that I have not referred to my website so far in this post. You will also notice that I have never referred to it except in direct response to an issue at hand. For instance, instead of reproducing the entirety of Brotehr Muhammad Abu-Bakr's The Great Prophet Muhammad and his Famous Black Conpanions here, I will simply refer the forum to the website in order to read the entire book and check Brother Muhammad's refereences, etc. When they get there, they will notice that under Pan-Africanism/Black Power, they are referred back to destee.com. We must learn to cooperate and help each other. FUDAA does practice a policy of reciprocity.

The reason that my website at FUDAA is so important is because much of what I am publishing there is not available through any other sources, except historical resaerch. I am simply trying to educate my people by bringing to them information that has been hidden from them for so long. If my people were aware of the information that is being published by FUDAA, thay would be less confused. And, they would be less likely to fall into the divide and conquor traps that have been set for them by the enemy.

Furthermore, I dont care what the colors are of the national flags of the kuwaitis, saudis, or yemenis who are in the pocket of us imperialism.

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Do you care what color the communists use? Of course the Black in our Colors at FUDAA stands for the people of Africa. Among the Arabs, I am sure that it also stand for the people of Africa. I refer to this simply to prove that this stuff about Arab racism has lettle to no evidence to support it. The best that can be used to support this non-sense is some propaganda and lies that's being pushed by the USA's Gang of Four: Bush, Cheney, Rice and Gonzales; and the Christian right/fundamentalists. Brother Gamal Nkrumah recently admitted that there are tensions between Arabs and Africans as Africans try to reach the job markets of Europe and get stranded in North Africa enroute to Europe and America. But, this tension is certtainly insufficient justififcation for opposing Continanetal (including the Arabian Pensula and Malagasy and other outlying islands) African Unity. Please go to Ihttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6177287.stm for an intelligent discussion of this issue. Also check out this debate about Western Sudan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6058920.stm

in fact, as some used to say back in my "Party" days, "Just because you may be my brother, doesnt make you my Comrade".

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It is interesting to note that you and I have come from the Party. But, I do not kiss and tell. I still love the Party. I support it. I consider myself to be a memebr of it. I will always be a Party man.

I have no comraderie with Islamist slave traders and allies with us imperialist efforts to expand into and destabilize BLACK civilization.

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Dear African, I have read some of your posts. You have done some outstanding work in terms of bringing important information to this forum. Keep up the good work. As you grow and mature, insa-Allah, you will come to understand that this anti-Arab thing is based on a phantom, only.